Oven door support arrangement

ABSTRACT

An inexpensive oven door support arrangement in which the hinge arms of the door are supported by a frame including a pivot bar forming an upper portion of the frame which is held in place by the range body structure, and a lower portion of the frame which is supported for vertical adjustment from another portion of the range body the arrangement also including tension springs which pull the hinge arms into a position in which open sided slots on the hinge arms seat on the upper portion of the frame assembly.

United States Patent Inventor Robert F. Dalton Mansfield, Ohio Appl. No. 55,823

Filed July 17, 1970 Patented Dec. 14, 1971 Assignee Westinghouse Electric Corporation Pittsburgh, Pa.

OVEN DOOR SUPPORT ARRANGEMENT 9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

Int. Cl. F23m 7/00, F24c 15/04 Field of Search 126/ 194; 16/145, 146

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,989,487 1/1935 McCormick 126/194 Primary ExaminerCarroll B. Dority, .lr. Attorneys-F. H. Henson and E. C. Arenz ABSTRACT: An inexpensive oven door support arrangement in which the hinge arms of the door are supported by a frame including a pivot bar forming an upper portion of the frame which is held in place by the range body structure. and a lower portion of the frame which is supported for vertical adjustmen! from another portion of the range body the arrangement also including tension springs which pull the hinge arms into a position in which open sided slots on the hinge arms seat on the upper portion of the frame assembly.

PATENTED mm 4 ml SHEET 1 BF 2 FIGZ.

INVENTOR Robert F. Dalton {OM C. @114 ATTORNEY PATENTEU m1 4 m1 sum 2 or 2 gay FIG.5.

OVEN DOOR SUPPORT ARRANGEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention pertains to the art of mounting oven doors on domestic ranges.

2. Description of the Prior Art I am not aware of any structural arrangement for mounting oven doors in the prior art which is especially pertinent to my arrangement. The prior art arrangements with which I am familiar tend for the most part, to be substantially more complicated and relatively expensive. Many such arrangements permit the user to remove the oven door through simply manipulating the door along with attaching mechanisms.

The arrangement of my invention is intended mainly for incorporation in relatively inexpensive ranges, such as those which are especially designed for use in apartment houses. Accordingly, it is desirable that the arrangement be relatively inexpensive, but also provide basic features such as adjustability of the oven door relative to the opening which it covers, the removal of the oven door for purposes of servicing the range, and reasonably easy assembly of the arrangement to the range in the manufacturing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An arrangement according to my invention is considered to provide the desired results, and essentially comprises an oven door with a pair of hinge arms having open-sided slots therein, a door pivot support assembly which includes a frame having a horizontal upper bar portion upon which the hinge arm slots are seated when the door is installed on the range, an arrangement connecting the lower portion of the frame to the range body to restrain lateral movement of the lower portion while accommodating vertical adjustment of the frame, means for restraining the lateral movement of the upper bar portion of the frame, and means urging each of the hinge arms into seated relation on the bar portion, with the urging means being releasable to permit the door to be removed from the range body.

DRAWING DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a range in which my invention is incorporated, and with the oven door shown in exploded relation thereto;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the door support assembly frame of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to one taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view, partly broken and partly in section, of the main parts of the inventive arrangement as viewed from a location within the oven and with the oven liner removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The generally conventional range illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an exterior body including a front wall having an opening 12 therein for access to the oven 14 which is defined by a box shaped liner having the usual walls including sidewalls l6 and bottom wall 18. The oven door is hinged along an axis adjacent its lower edge by means of a pair of onepiece hinge arms 22 which include a stem portion 24 rigidly fixed to the door and branching into a rearwardly directed portion 26 and a forwardly directed portion 28. The latter is provided at its front end with an open-sided slot 30 which, when the door is installed, seats on the bar forming the pivotal axis of the door. Several holes 32 are provided adjacent the lower edge of the forwardly projecting portion to receive one end of a tension spring 34, the other end of which is secured to the base or toe plate panel 36 of the range body structure.

The range body structure framing the mouth of the oven is provided with a hinge arm receiving notch 38 through which the hinge arm is inserted to install the door on the range body. Each notch 38 also pennits the pivoting of its hinge arm through the slot when the door is opened and closed. The space behind the hinge slot is immediately outboard of the oven liner sidewall 16 and forms a generally open space in which the hinge arm moves as the door is opened and closed, with appropriate stops being provided for the door in both an open and closed position.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the door pivot support assembly includes a frame, which in its currently preferred form is generally rectangular in outline as shown in FIG. 2. The frame is fonned of a rod which is bent into a U-shape to form a horizontal upper bar portion 40 and downwardly extending legs 42 which are rigidly secured at their lower ends as by welding to an angle member 44 forming the lower horizontal portion of the frame. The horizontal leg of the angle 44 is drilled and tapped to receive two threaded members 46 which are of the washer-head bolt type for a reason which will be later explained Adjacent each end of the upper bar portion, the hinge arm seats 48 are defined by staking the bar.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the installed location of the frame of FIGS. 2 and 3 can be defined as the space generally below the lower edge of the oven front opening 12, a immediately behind the lower portion 50 to the range front wall 10. The lower wall portion is inwardly flanged as at 52 along its lower edge to provide a base for the frame. The upper bar portion 40 of the frame is confined within a niche 54 (FIG. 4) which has a front boundary formed by the upper portion of the front wall 50, and a rear boundary fonned by the angle-shaped flange 56. The flange 56 is secured along its upper edge to the upper portion of the wall 50 and has a lower horizontal leg upon which the front edge of the bottom pan 58 is supported. These parts of the range body structure provide convenient means for restraining the upper bar portion of the frame against lateral movement in a front-to-rear direction. It will be appreciated of course that the space between the oven liner bottom wall 18 and the bottom pan 58 is typically filled with thermal insulation (not shown), as are the other double wall spaces surrounding the oven 14.

The lower portion of the frame is restrained against lateral movement in all directions, while accommodating vertical adjustment, by seating the washer heads of the bolts 46 in appropriately located apertures in the lower flange 52 of the lower front wall 50. To adjust the frame up and down, the bolts 46 are simply turned in one direction or the other.

With the foregoing explanation in mind, the general relationship between the hinge arms, the door pivot support assembly, and the cooperating range body structure is perhaps best perceived in its entirety in connection with FIG. 5 which, as noted before, is a view in which the oven liner is omitted and is from a location within the oven space. As may there be seen, the open-sided slot 30 of each forwardly-projecting portion 28 of hinge arm 22 is oriented in a downward and forward inclination when the door is installed and in a closed position. The counterbalancing springs 34 associated with each of the hinge arms pull these slots into seating relationship upon the stake defined seats 48 of the upper bar portion, and also serve as counterbalance means as the door is being moved from closed to open position. The stop means for holding the door in a closed position, and also for in a slightly open position for purposes of broiling, is provided in the hinge box space 60 located behind one of the hinge arm slots 38 and may simply comprise the angular-shaped strap 62 which has a lower inclined surface and an upper inclined surface. When the complementary shaped end of the rearwardly projecting hinge arm portion 26 seats against the lower inclined surface the door is held in a closed position. If the door is slightly opened, the counterbalancing arrangement is such that the springs 34 seat the other complementary shaped end portion of the hinge arm portion 26 upon the upper inclined surface of the stop 62. The pivotal axis relation to the counter springs and their forces, and the weight of the door is such that until the door is opened to a position of approximately half open the springs 3 tend to return the door to a closed position, while if the door is opened beyond the half open position, the weight of the door pulls it slowly down to an open position against the force of the counterbalancing springs until stopped by the rear portion of 26 abutting the front wall of the range.

To remove the door from the range, the springs 34 are first released from the body and then the hinge arms by reaching up under the lower front edge of the range. Then the door is moved toward an open position until the open sided slots 30 can be moved up off the upper bar portion 40, and the hinge arms then pulled out through the slots 38. To replace the door, the reverse manipulation is required.

I claim as my invention:

1. An oven door mounting arrangement for a range having a range body encompassing an oven provided with a front opening, comprising:

an oven door having a pair of hinge arms fixed thereto and projecting away from the inner face thereof, each of said anns including an open-sided slot therein;

a door pivot support assembly including a frame having a horizontal upper bar portion upon which said hinge arm slots are seated, and a lower portion;

means holding said lower portion of said frame to said range body to restrain lateral movement of said lower portion and to accommodate vertical adjustment of said frame;

means holding said upper bar portion of said frame against lateral movement; and

means urging each of said arms into seated relation to said upper bar portion, said urging means being releasable to permit said door to be removed from said range body.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein:

said upper bar portion holding means comprises range body structure defining a horizontally extending, downwardly open niche underlying the lower edge of said oven front opening.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein:

said frame is generally rectangular and includes a U-formed rod forming said upper bar portion and opposite side, downwardly extending legs, the lower ends of said legs being connected by a horizontally extending member to form said lower portion.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3 wherein:

said means connecting said lower portion of said frame to said range body includes a pair of threaded members supported by said range body below said horizontally extending member and engageable therewith to adjust the height of said frame relative to said range body for corresponding adjusting the position of said door in said oven front opening.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein:

said urging means comprises a tension spring connected between each said hinge arm and a part of said range body underlying said hinge arms.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein:

each said hinge arm includes a single arm portion projecting away from said door and being joined to a forwardly projecting portion and a rearwardly projecting portion, said open-sided slot being provided adjacent the forward end of said forwardly projecting arm.

7. An arrangement according to claim 6 wherein:

said open-sided slot is inclined forwardly and downwardly when said oven door is closed.

8. An arrangement according to claim 6 including:

stop means for each hinge arm in the path of movement of the rearwardly projecting hinge arm portion, to provide a stop for a door closed position, and for a door broiling position.

9. An oven door mounting arrangement for a range having a range body encompassing an oven provided with a from opening, comprising:

an oven door having a pair of hinge arms fixed thereto and projecting away from the inner face thereof, each of said hinge arms including an o n-sided slot therein; a door pivot support assem ly including a generally rectan gular frame having a horizontal upper bar portion upon which said hinge arm slots are adapted to be seated; means holding said frame in place in a space underlying the lower edge of said front opening, said holding means including means holding said frame against lateral displace ment while permitting vertical adjustment thereof; and means connected between said hinge arms and said range body to pull said hinge arms into seated relation on said upper bar portion and to provide a counterbalancing force for the weight of said door in its movement between open and closed positions.

* It i t t 

1. An oven door mounting arrangement for a range having a range body encompassing an oven provided with a front opening, comprising: an oven door having a pair of hinge arms fixed thereto and projecting away from the inner face thereof, each of said arms including an open-sided slot therein; a door pivot support assembly including a frame having a horizontal upper bar portion upon which said hinge arm slots are seated, and a lower portion; means holding said lower portion of said frame to said range body to restrain lateral movement of said lower portion and to accommodate vertical adjustment of said frame; means holding said upper bar portion of said frame against lateral movement; and means urging each of said arms into seated relation on said upper bar portion, said urging means being releasable to permit said door to be removed from said range body.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein: said upper bar portion holding means comprises range body structure defining a horizontally extending, downwardly open niche underlying the lower edge of said oven front opening.
 3. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein: said frame is generally rectangular and includes a U-formed rod forming said upper bar portion and opposite side, downwardly extending legs, the lower ends of said legs being connected by a horizontally extending member to form said lower portion.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 3 wherein: said means connecting said lower portion of said frame to said range body includes a pair of threaded members supported by said range body below said horizontally extending member and engageable therewith to adjust the height of said frame relative to said range body for corresponding adjusting the position of said door in said oven front opening.
 5. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein: said urging means comprises a tension spring connected between each said hinge arm and a part of said range body underlying said hinge arms.
 6. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein: each said hinge arm includes a single arm portion projecting away from said door and being joined to a forwardly projecting portion and a rearwardly projecting portion, said open-sided slot being provided adjacent the forward end of said forwardly projecting arm.
 7. AN arrangement according to claim 6 wherein: said open-sided slot is inclined forwardly and downwardly when said oven door is closed.
 8. An arrangement according to claim 6 including: stop means for each hinge arm in the path of movement of the rearwardly projecting hinge arm portion, to provide a stop for a door closed position, and for a door broiling position.
 9. An oven door mounting arrangement for a range having a range body encompassing an oven provided with a front opening, comprising: an oven door having a pair of hinge arms fixed thereto and projecting away from the inner face thereof, each of said hinge arms including an open-sided slot therein; a door pivot support assembly including a generally rectangular frame having a horizontal upper bar portion upon which said hinge arm slots are adapted to be seated; means holding said frame in place in a space underlying the lower edge of said front opening, said holding means including means holding said frame against lateral displacement while permitting vertical adjustment thereof; and means connected between said hinge arms and said range body to pull said hinge arms into seated relation on said upper bar portion and to provide a counterbalancing force for the weight of said door in its movement between open and closed positions. 